


Clumsy - Confused - Content

by ArtInMotion26



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, I love these lesbians so much, One-Shot, catradora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27976152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtInMotion26/pseuds/ArtInMotion26
Summary: Adora and Catra find themselves with a tiny bit of free time while traveling back to Etheria. Tensions are high, but they think they have found a way to wind down.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Kudos: 59





	Clumsy - Confused - Content

**Author's Note:**

> This story has returned from a previous account! Couldn't stay away for too long.

"You sure about this?" The fur on the back of Catra's neck stood on end as she took a sniff of whatever substance Adora was proudly sloshing around in her cup.

"Eh. It's survived for decades on this untouched ship, Entrapta thinks there shouldn't be any side effects too worrisome from giving it a try, annnd we don't have any obligations tomorrow." Adora bumped shoulders against Catra nervously, as she noticed that the pitch of her voice had suddenly raised, and she had begun to speak quite quickly. Inside the cup was a potent brown liquid, with a smell that was strong enough to take out a fleet of Horde soldiers, easily. "What's the worst that could happen?", she added.

Catra peered at Adora through narrowed eyes. She could tell that her friend was trying to convince both her, and herself, that this would not end in disaster. Adora had come across it while sorting through some of the old items in the kitchen, and couldn't help the curiosity that came along with finding it. Catra had to admit that watching her get so worked up about something potentially dangerous was sort of...exciting. Catra shook her head, clearing out those thoughts. Keep it cool, Catra. These guys just let you in. Don't fuck this up. Adora and you are back together... Like... In the same space, together. That's all, and that's enough.

It hadn't been long since Adora, Bow, and Glimmer had swept in to save Catra (even after she explicitly asked them not to). But then again, it was Adora - what did she expect? While she was happy to be rid of whatever gross thing Hordak had managed to attach to her neck, and also that she was making progress in her attempts to apologize for her somewhat brutal treatment of these goons in the past, she couldn't help but still feel nervous she wouldn't be accepted. One misstep, and she could land herself in an even worse place than when she started.

"Alright." She clapped her hands together, having made her decision. "No time like the present. We know that we will be traveling for the next few days, and that this may be the only down time we have before we get back to Etheria. Hell, if there's a limited time left before Hordak blows us to smithereens, might as well spend it like this, right?" Catra said this half-truthfully, as everyone was notably stressed of late, with a somewhat important fight looming not too far in the distance.

Adora grabbed Catra's hand tight, sending a quick shiver down Catra's spine. "You're right. Let's do this." She was excited now. Adora gripped the cup tightly, shut her eyes, and threw the contents back. "PLEH!" She exclaimed quickly, wiping excess liquid off her bottom lip, running down to her chin - Catra watched that bit a little too closely, heterochromatic eyes lingering just a little too long.

Adora smirked, pretending not to notice. Instead, she raised an eyebrow at Catra, waiting for her to follow her lead. The alcohol was hot, and burned against her throat. She could already feel her head getting lighter, her eyes slightly beginning to unfocus. She wasn't going to go through this experience alone.

After taking a deep breath, and running her claws through her hair to push it back, Catra mimicked Adora's actions. At least, she tried to, before she realized all she had done was simply gather the liquid in her mouth, afraid to swallow. Why did no one tell her it was going to taste like nail polish remover?! She was appalled.

"CATRA!" Adora was cackling. "The quicker you get it down the sooner it's over!"

Catra's eyes were watering, and watching Adora laughing incessantly wasn't helping.

"Don't you dare spit that out on me!" Adora cupped her mouth with her hands, throwing her head back in delight. Yep, this shit was fast-moving; she put a little too much force into that movement, causing the rest of her body to tilt back with her.

Instinctively, Catra GULPED down the liquid, and hurried to catch Adora's dopey head before it hit the ground. Oof. Too quick, she noted.

"Careful, Adora!" Catra giggled, followed by a hiccup.

"Awh. Cute. Hiccups." Adora booped Catra on the nose as she said finished her broken little sentences. "Aaaand, you saved me! My hero", she added playfully. She noticed her words sounded like they were dragging, and she felt reminiscent of the time she had been infected by Entrapta's strange, evil bots.

Catra blushed. It was at this moment she noticed that her whole body was actually feeling a bit warmer than usual. Shaking her head to try and focus back in, she managed, "What on Etheria is this stuff? Why does my body feel so weeiiird. And why do I feel so… happy?" Adora said nothing, just stared, smiling up sheepishly. Catra suddenly found herself getting jealous of the floor that Adora was laying on, and wiggled her way down to lay side by side with her friend.

Friend. That's the word. They have always been friends. Adora had a way of picking more friends up along the way, but to Catra, Adora had always been the only one that mattered.

Catra flipped onto her side, managing to rest her head up on her hand, supported by her elbow. She liked this feeling. She didn't feel the ever-present stress weighing her down; in fact, nothing really seemed too important in this moment. Well. Except that one thing - that beautiful blonde thing laying close enough for Catra to discreetly run her tail along. Adora had taken notice.

"What's it like to have a tail?", Adora lazily muttered, as she gathered the soft, fluffy extremity in her hands.

Catra snorted. "Eh. Damn thing has a mind of its own. Not good for much."

"I liiike it," Adora mumbled, pulling it close to her face, and giving it a nuzzle.

"Hey! Easy there," Catra managed through laughter. Adora's face dropped, and she in turn propped herself up to face back at Catra. Catra felt a nervous lump gather in her throat - Adora's eyes had changed. Something in the atmosphere had shifted.

"I'm really glad you're here. I don't think I could have talked Glimmer into trying something like this with me." She smiled at Catra, but noticed Catra wasn't smiling back.

"You have a ton of people who would do this with you. You're She-Ra." Catra spat. She sensed herself get annoyed by the mention of Adora's new relationships, and felt strangely emotional. Is this because of what it was I drank? Oh, God. Tears were forming, and she was confused and frustrated that she felt like they were unsolicited. Wasn't she just feeling increduously happy?

"Woah, woah Catra, no", Adora quickly inchworm-ed closer to the other, dropping Catra's tail, and trading it out for a fistful of her mane instead. "I wanted to do this with you. You're... different", she added, her gaze flitting between the ground and Catra.

"Oh, different. Great. That's a shocker. Way to point out that I don't exactly fit in with this group of fairies you have found yourself with." Nice, Catra. Doing great. Way to really work on that anger. She facepalmed herself, looking at Adora, who was clearly trying (and failing) to find a way to scarf down the words she had just said.

"...Sorry. That was aggressive. I didn't mean that. I am happy to be here too." Catra took a deep breath, and internally patted herself on the back for the bigness that she demonstrated. She knew she had done well when she looked at Adora - her uncomfortable expression completely disintegrated, and replaced with pure joy. Her eyes were LITERALLY sparkling, and her hands were tight together under her chin. She was positively beaming at Catra, and had somehow managed to go back to sitting upright very quickly - an action that seemed quite impossible to Catra in this moment.

"Ohhh, Catraaaaa, you mean it?" The whiny, long-windedness was back. Adora had wanted this so bad for so long, and Catra had no idea. She loved her new friends, of course. But Catra _**was**_ different. Her first, her closest, and the one person she felt expected nothing more than just for her to be there.

"Thank you", she said. "This feels like old times." Adora didn't know if it was the booze, or the hyper sensitive situation that they were currently in, but she felt something - something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Since her time with Catra back in the bunks, she realized. She had been so consumed by the next task, never really taking a second to breathe, but Catra being here was drawing out this missed, familiar sensation. She didn't know much what to do with it, but she DID know she wanted for them to be touching. Now. Gathering up some courage, she slid down to the floor again, and moved her hand to Catra's cheek.

Shit. Hot. In an instant, Catra's tail (there it goes again, she thought) bristled. Adora's palm felt cold against the warmth of her face. "Heeey, Adora… What are you doing", she questioned anxiously.

"I don't really know how to - ", Adora began, but then stopped. Drawing her hand back, she sighed. "I mean, I… Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you and I…" This had gone much differently in Adora's head. She made an audible, "uggghh".

Catra's heart felt like it would literally burst out of her chest, and she became genuinely fearful that Adora may be able to hear its resounding pounds with how close she was lying. Is she trying to say what I think she's trying to say? And damn. Her breath smells so nice. Her eyes are so blue. Realizing suddenly that more than a few moments had passed, and seeing Adora was still struggling to string together real sentences, Catra snapped back to reality.

"Hey, hey, It's okay," Catra intervened, able to watch the poor girl stumble around no more. She took her own clawed hand and rested it on Adora. Feeling like this moment was turning into something she would actually want to remember, she attempted to shake off the tingly feeling that her body was still experiencing. She shut her eyes tightly, re-opened them, and stared intently at Adora.

"I'm not going anywhere, not anymore. We are going home - together." Catra placed their foreheads together, and Adora froze under Catra's determined gaze. Electric.

That was it - all that was done. But in that moment where it felt like time had stopped, there was a silent understanding. With an inevitable war coming up, this didn't feel like the right time to sort out whatever it was they longed to communicate. But man, was this a step.

"Oh and... Adora - ", Catra continued, and she swore she heard Adora's breath catch. "Nights not over yet." She winked, and Adora couldn't help but feel the corner of her lips creep up in a way she was sure looked quite embarrassing. Catra attempted to smoothly twirl Adora's body to fit tightly against her chest, which in actuality turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. The two laughed, and Adora took it upon herself to scoot and press her back against Catra's chest.

"Hmph. I'm baby spoon," Adora proudly proclaimed, as she focused up at Catra, who she noticed had started purring against her own will. Yessss, I made her do that, she thought smugly. The air had lightened, and with it came a sense of sleepiness.

"Thank you. This is nice." Adora sighed, and shut her eyes, satisfied with their progress, and how this mission had gone.

As Adora drifted off, Catra found herself thinking, _No shit, Glimmer better not be doing this with you._ She scoffed at herself internally, and settled into the embrace. Adora was right - this was great. Even with no words of affirmation technically having been spoken, she felt a validation that she had wanted to find for so long. Something she was willing to fight and wait for.

 _Not too bad, strange brown liquid_ , she thought.


End file.
